ANALYSIS.
The "childless ladies" boom, a national problem
The number of American women of childbearing age who have not been mothers is growing in all age groups with the sole exception of those over 45, which is declining slightly.
Supermodel Heidi Klum, with her children.
In the middle of demographic winter, the number of American women of childbearing age who do not have children has increased dramatically in the last decade, according to Census data. A trend, moreover, that affects all age groups, with the only exception of those over 45, among whom the number of women without children decreases slightly.
According to Census data, the age groups showing an increase in childless women are precisely those most likely, according to experts, to face motherhood.
Women in the ideal age to become mothers, those who register a greater fall
Thus, it is women between the ages of 25-29who register a greater increase in avoiding becoming mothers, followed by the range comprising the 30-35. In 2014, 49.6%of the components of the first group were childless, compared with 63% in 2024.In the case of women in the earing years, there has been an increase of 11.4% among those who decide not to have children, going from 28.9% in 2014 to 40.3% last year.
In the rest of the age groups, the variations are smaller. This is due toage at both extremes. On the one hand, the rate of childless adolescents is very high, although even so the number of them without children has increased from 95.9% to 97.8% during the last decade.
Delayed motherhood
Likewise, women approaching the end of their fertile life are also registering a tendency to have children, although a drop is also noticeable in some of the later ranges. In fact, women aged 35-39 years without children have increased by 4.7%, rising from 18.5% to 23.2.
Those who have not been mothers between the ages of 40-44 have also increased their percentage, although more discreetly. In this case, it isan increase of 3.5%, from 15.3% to 18.8%.
Women over 45 years of age are the only group in which the number of mothers has increased
On the other hand, the number of childless women is also declining slightly, by just 1.8%, among women over 45 years of age. Thus, in 2024 the number of childless women in this age group was 14.9%, compared to 16.7% in 2014.
Demographic, social and economic changes
The authors further note that "young adults are delaying the attainment of key adulthood milestones, such as having children. The results suggest that today's young adults prioritize financial security over starting a family, reflecting the increasing burden of housing, food, gasoline, and other expenses."
The results suggest that today's young adults prioritize financial security over starting a family, reflecting the increasing burden of housing, food, gasoline, and other expenses.
The report also notes that "although most women continue to have children later in life, these new data suggest that some are waiting even longer than in the past." This poses a number of drawbacks and challenges, starting with the fact that delayed childbearing means older mothers, with all that entails.
Data that support Vice President Vance's point about "childless cat ladies"
Although the study doesn't pick up on whether women without children have adopted cats, JD Vance's comment about "childless cat ladies" resonates strongly again. The vice president's words, which sparked a clash with actress Jennifer Aniston, gain further traction in the wake of the Census study, and warn of the demographic problem the country is currently experiencing.
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